RISE:
Relationships and Interactions in School Environments
Current Doctoral Research Projects
Collaborative learning methods and effects on pupil learning, achievement and conflict management:
A quantitative and qualitative investigation into the application and evaluation of the UK SPRinG (Social Pedagogic Research into Group-work) project in a Faroese context.
Andriása Joensen
​ ​This between-subjects quasi-experimental, pre-test post-test design study investigates the effect of a relational group training intervention, using principles and material from the UK SPRinG (Baines et al, 2009) programme. The study seeks to systematically examine pupils’ progress over a period of six months, and in comparison to a control group in terms of academic attainment, quality of group work interaction and conflict management. Pupil attainment tests were administered and video observations and teacher interviews were conducted before and after the intervention. The data will be analysed via quantitative and qualitative components.
It is a central aim underpinning the PhD project to contribute to the limited body of educational research in the Faroe Islands and to strengthen the empirical base underpinning pedagogical practice in Faroese schools.​
It is hoped that this project may help to increase the perceived pedagogic value of group work as a potential to increase not only social cohesion, as has been argued to be a main reason for the use of group work (Barron, 2003), but also subject knowledge and academic achievement. Additionally, this would provide valuable and much needed insight into classroom interactions, which is essential in order to clarify, extend and elaborate recent research findings from the limited number of educational studies in the Faroe Islands.
An important area, in the field of child development, pertains to how children take initiative and respond appropriately to the emotional, social and behavioural needs of others. Interactions of this nature are often referred to as prosocial behaviours; displaying such behaviours can have an increasingly positive impact on the psycho-social development and establishment of healthy interpersonal relationships in children (Tomasello, 2009).
My research project examines the nature, expression and interaction of prosocial behaviours in children within the school context. Using a multi-phasic, multi-level, mixed methods design the project employs both primary and secondary (longitudinal) data to investigate how prosociality relates to the relations and interactions children experience within the school setting.
Understanding prosociality in primary school children:
An examination of socio-personal relations and interactions.
Aneeza Pervez
Based on my doctoral project, I designed and carried
out a public engagement project that involved working with teachers to develop activities that foster kindness and helpfulness in classroom settings in primary school children. During the project, I worked with teachers to co-create digital cue cards that were used in class to educate children about the constructs of kindness and helpfulness. These resources were then evaluated and refined using both qualitative (open-ended feedback) and quantitative (short surveys with students and teachers) methods. further details will be made available shortly.
Moreover, I designed and won funding for a peace-building project that stems from the work I undertook during both my doctorate and my public engagement project.
Conduct problems (CP) are very common in early childhood and can exert a strong negative impact on children, peers, and teachers. There is abundant evidence that children with CP can be sub-typed on the basis of the presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits, characterised by low empathy, remorse, guilt, and a lack of concern for performance. To date, most of the research on CU traits and environmental factors has focused on the family context, with little on the school context. According to some studies, students with CU traits are at high risk for poor behavioural outcomes, poor teacher-child relationships, and low academic performance. Most existing research on CU traits has been conducted in Western countries, and it is currently little available in China. Past studies on CU traits in schools have relied strongly on teacher reports.
Study of Children’s Temperament, Behaviour and Teacher-Child Interaction in
kindergartens
Xinyi Cao
My research will adopt a multi-informant, multi-method approach (including observational methods)
to investigate the relationship between children’s behaviour in the classroom, the quality of the teachers’ relationships with children and their parents, and how children respond to strategies that teachers use to manage child behaviour.
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Specifically, we are looking at how effective different classroom management and instructional methods are for different children based on their unique temperament, as well as how teachers’ relationships with students and their parents relates to their learning and behaviour at school in a Chinese kindergarten classroom context. In this way, it will make a contribution to work on adapting existing school-based interventions to promote prosocial behaviour and school engagement in children with CU traits.
The role of Teaching Assistants for the inclusion of pupils with SEND in Italy and England.
Lorenzo Ciletti
This research aims at exploring and systematically comparing the role of Teaching Assistants (TAs) and their interactions with pupils with Special educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) in Italy and England. In order to do so, I will explore and compare Italian and English TAs’ activities and interactions with pupils with SEND during literacy hours in a multiple case study analysis. My study will use naturalistic observation.
Bullying in Secondary Schools during Transitions
Yohana Kurnia Yulianti
Transitioning from primary to secondary school is considered crucial yet challenging for students. Socially, they need to adjust and fit in a new peer environment, build a new network to gain acceptance and foster their status within the peer group. During this critical period, they may be at risk for bullying involvement (Pellegrini & Van Ryzin, 2011) as part of changes in their proximal social experiences.
School bullying, by any means, is a complex, fluid, and contextual phenomenon (Espelage & Swearer, 2004). Although it has been widely studied for many years, bullying prevention and intervention programs are still less successful in secondary schools (Pouwels, 2018) due to a lack of a clear conceptual framework and methodology, characteristics of
samples, school and cultural context. Therefore, my research project explores how Indonesian students conceptualise bullying and their experiences during school transitions, from primary to middle schools and middle to high schools. I further investigate the dynamic interplay between developmental, social cognitive, and cultural factors contributing to the development of bullying involvement during school transition.
The project will be mixed-method research, employing focus group discussions with secondary school students and teachers and the experience sampling method (daily diary assessment) to understand the patterns and momentary influences on bullying involvement.
